Grantee Database

Guitars and Ukes in the Classroom

Grant Year

2026-27

Grant Program

Arts and Youth

Award Amount

$10,500.00

Project Description

With support from the California Arts Council, Guitars in the Classroom will provide weekly adaptive music instruction for medically isolated, physically fragile, and disabled students learning in hospitals or at home. Working with each student’s Home Hospital teacher, and their primary caregiver, GITC teaching artists will use sensory-friendly techniques, adaptive tools, music technology, accessible instruments, and hand-over-hand supports as needed to empower team members to reduce the student’s stress, relieve discomfort, and to motivate and improve learning through music. Participants will build music skills through activities tailored to students’ physical, educational, and behavioral goals. Ten week residencies include ongoing assessment and outcome reporting. The program’s long-term goal is to empower teachers, students, and caregivers to incorporate music as a shared language to support daily routines, learning, and play through joyful musical connection and expression.

Organization Summary

GITC provides professional development training and classroom capacity-building residencies for educators, in person and online. Participants receive instruction in ukulele, guitar, singing, and music integration. Our services include:
• Music Leadership for Early Childhood Education. GITC trains daycare providers, caregivers, and early childhood educators in rhythm, movement, chanting, singing, songleading, percussion, ukulele, and music activities that build self-regulation, speech and language, numeracy, life skills, and wellness.
• GITC Capacity-Building Co-Teaching Artist Residencies support GITC-trained teachers Prek-8 though our “I Do, We Do, You Do” model to become competent, capable, and creative songleaders and songwriting facilitators for engaged learning across the curriculum.
• Adaptive Music Training for Music Educators addresses bias about differences, imparts asset-based thinking, and teachers learn to utilize IEP and 504 recommendations, build low-floor/high ceiling lessons, create sensory-friendly learning environments with optimal seating, lighting, and mobility pathways, adopt multi-modal instruction for neurodivergent and diverse learners, utilize physical supports, tools, tech solutions, and individualize musical parts, adapt instruments, and include peer-to-peer learning strategies.
• Adaptive Music Training for Special Educators helps classroom teachers learn to lead and strategically integrate music throughout the school day to increase student focus, engagement, wellness. and physical, cognitive, social-emotional, behavioral, and academic learning through the power of hands-on music, songs, adaptive tech, and collaborative songwriting.
• Adaptive Music Residencies for Home Hospital (HH) Teacher and Students GITC teaching artists lead and impart musical learning to homebound and hospitalized children, while training their caregivers and teachers to make and lead individualized and group music to enhance wellness, engagement, and learning.
• GITC Music Enrichment Programs for students (a.k.a. Strummers Clubs) provide uplifting, culturally inclusive, direct music instruction in foundational music based on principals of Orff Schulwerk and our own SmartStart Ukulele, and SmartStart Guitar methods. Our approach cultivates student voices, creativity, musicality, singing, playing, songwriting, collaboration, and performance skills.

Organization

Guitars and Ukes in the Classroom

Address

1286 University Ave.

#389

SAN DIEGO

92103-3312

County

San Diego

Region

Far South

Website

Email

Congressional District

California's 52nd congressional district

State Assembly District

District 78

State Senate District

District 39

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